Knights Of The Road To The Rescue

Business - On The Job

Wrecker Drivers Patrol The Highways Around The Clock To Help Stranded Motorists Or Pick Up Broken Vehicles.

October 4, 2000|By Christine Cole, Sentinel Correspondent

EUSTIS -- The six wreckers at Eustis Amoco get new tires every six months and an oil change every two weeks.

Each of the cable and flatbed trucks puts on 3,000 miles in less than two weeks.

Dale Smith, who has driven wreckers for six years, said those miles are hard miles.

"You start off at 6 a.m. and you don't shut it off until 11 or 12 at night," he said.

On Sunday, a slow day at the station, Smith fixed a lawn mower tire and ate Chinese carryout while waiting for a call that could take him anywhere from Leesburg to Zellwood, or from Astor to Yalaha.

That call could come from members of AAA or from several other motor clubs who have contracted with Eustis Amoco to do anything from jumpstart an ailing battery to hauling a car out of the drink.

Last week, Smith pulled a car and a boat trailer out of the St. Johns River when a woman launched more than her boat.

Some people crash their cars in the woods. To free the cars, Smith must chop them out with an axe, which is standard equipment on a wrecker.

"We bring them out the same way they go in," he said.

The call could also come from various city police departments, the Florida Highway Patrol or the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Renting a lot on State Road 19A keeps the wreckers eligible for calls from the Mount Dora Police Department, said owner Claudia Almand.

Annual inspections keep her wreckers on the lists of both the Sheriff's Office and FHP.

Smith took a flatbed truck to a fatal two-car accident at State Road 44 and Britt Road last week. Because he is the one who sweeps up the glass and debris from accidents, he carries a shovel and a broom.

Flashlights and flares, air tanks, lug wrenches, jumper cables and a fire extinguisher are stored in locked spaces on both sides of the wrecker. Smith said he also carries rain gear, gloves and a pry bar.

A cable truck carries straps for the wheel lift, separate straps for motorcycles, and safety chains to beef up the strength of the straps for long-distance jobs. In case of a bad crash or a vehicle with four flat tires, a cable truck can stand in for a flatbed by using a four-wheeled tow dolly.

Almand said her wreckers have pulled a car out of a sinkhole and rescued ambulances, county transit buses and even Merita bread trucks. But heavy loads can take a heavy toll on the $40,000 to $70,000 trucks.

"On any given day, three out of six trucks are being repaired," said Almand. "Often those are major expenses."

A good wrecker driver can prevent other financial losses for Almand. A vehicle can be damaged by the way it is towed.

The cable trucks, which winch the vehicle up, can't haul anything with four-wheel drive unless the driver drops the drive shaft. The driver must know not to hook up a front-wheel drive from the rear or a rear-wheel drive from the front.

"Common sense is the most important quality of a wrecker driver," said Smith.

Then there are the new cars with plastic bumpers.

"I've bought a couple of those," said Almand.

Monday morning -- the busiest day of the week -- Almand had 15 calls holding. People who break down on the weekend don't call until their repair shops are open, causing a backlog.

Smith was off for a long day's work, and he looked forward to it.

"We do the same thing every day, but it's different every day," he said

What keeps it interesting for Smith is that every call presents a different problem to solve and involves all kinds of people and all sorts of attitudes.

Most people -- who are usually overjoyed to see him arrive -- are less cheerful on Mondays when they have to wait.